I am a cancer survivor from 1993. I started using IGF-1 in October 2001. The Cancer I had in ’93 had a 0 survivor rate, but through God, nutrition and supplements I healed. Still, I was left with intense pain, chronic fatigue, and other damage done by the cancer. IGF-1 is now one supplement I will not do without, no way, period. IGF-1 has virtually helped me rebuild my body from the vast cancer induced damage. I am now not only pain free, I am also surfing at 46 years young with the teenagers and physically cannot be held back. I have increased lean muscle mass, the silver in my hair has disappeared and my vision has returned to full focus. I more than highly recommend IGF-1 to everyone wishing to be youthful in body and mind. Thank you and congratulations on the most important find in our century.

Most of the world's supply of velvet antler comes from Sika deer, red deer and elk or wapiti, including a large deer ranching industry in New Zealand. New Zealand is the world’s largest producer of velvet, producing 450-500 tons of red deer velvet antler annually.[1] China produces 400 tons of predominantly Sika deer velvet antler annually. Russia produces 80 tons annually. United States and Canada each produce 20 tons annually.[2]

No direct reports of chronic wasting disease (CWD) related to deer velvet supplementation have been published. However, several Web sites contain disclaimers mentioning the possibility of the disease being present in antler products. The CDC has not yet found a relationship between CWD and any neurological disease that affects humans with deer velvet use.

As men and women get older, they naturally start producing less Human Growth Hormone (HGH). So levels of IGF-1 also decline with age. The liver produces IGF-1 when HGH is released. HGH is converted to IGF-1. Aside from someone’s age, IGF-1 levels will vary depending on a person’s sex (men generally have more), level of activity, their diet, genetics and lifestyle.

1g of Velvet Antler taken daily for 12 weeks in otherwise healthy adult men has failed to significantly alter serum testosterone levels, either total or free testosterone.[8] Another study in otherwise healthy men has also failed to find such an effect on the endocrine profile, with 11 weeks of 1.5g supplementation failing to alter serum testosterone[26] and a lack of effects also noted after 10 weeks of 560mg in males and females who performed a consistent rowing regimen.[28]
The message was from Neema Yazdani. Some of you might recognize Neema’s name from my most recent book, The Men’s Health Big Book: Getting Abs. Neema was a test subject that epitomized the great results you could receive with the program. As a guy that had tried just about everything during the last 12 years, Neema dropped body fat and added muscle with a simpler approach included in the book.
I know of no scientific evidence to support any of the marketing claims made for these supplements. I discussed your question with Tieraona Low Dog, M.D., an internationally recognized expert in the fields of integrative medicine, dietary supplements and women’s health, and an authority on botanical medicine. She explains that IGF-1 in the velvet promotes rapid growth of the antler. Dr. Low Dog notes that the two studies examining the effects of deer antler velvet supplements taken by athletes have yielded conflicting results. One showed some improvements in endurance and knee strength in weightlifters, but the other found no differences in rowers after 10 weeks of supplementation.

All male members of the deer family, including elk, moose and reindeer (caribou), grow a new set of antlers each year’from scratch, in just a matter of months’then shed them at the end of the annual mating season. The ability to regenerate such large appendages each year is unique to this family among mammals and rare in the animal kingdom as a whole (horns, in contrast to antlers, are permanent and cannot be regrown). Understanding how it happens could have significant implications for human medicine, particularly in the fields of wound healing and organ regeneration.

I took red mountain deer velvet and it really messed my stomach up. I now have cramps and bloating all the time plus it feels like my stomach shrank…I can’t eat like I used to. It was a big mistake to take that stuff. Do you know of any way I can get my stomach back to normal??? Can you recommend someone who knows a lot about deer velvet?? I have been suffering terribly since I took that junk…it’s been about 2 years now!!!! My stomach has never been the same since I took that poison!!